Graduation

Sycamore Strings Academy holds a Graduation Recital once per year. Graduation is the performance of a specified piece from each book of the Suzuki repertoire. The piece is performed memorized and reflects mastery of skills and musicianship for that level.

Notice that some pieces can be performed in group, but others must be performed solo only. Soloist graduations might be performed at several different events in our annual concert series to avoid duplication of major pieces in the same recital.

The following list describes the requirements for graduation from each level.
(Click on the image to link to the list as a pdf file.)

There is a delay intentionally built into our graduation policy. It gives the teacher and student the opportunity to fulfill the educational purposes of the graduation performance. This will reveal a deeper musical interpretation than after only an initial study of the piece. The repeated review of an already-known piece improves musical skills like tone, phrasing, expression, and use of vibrato. It enhances the security in the student’s playing since there are no new notes to learn, just qualities to add. The student will be able to use these new and refined techniques to improve his/her performance before the graduation concert. This will also make the student feel safe, secure, and confident. It will help the student demonstrate as many quality aspects in his/her performance abilities as possible — a goal that the Academy embraces as one of the most important objectives of our artistic education.
 
This delay between a first-time learning and graduation is especially important for the advanced students when they perform as soloists. There is no real time limit imposed on graduation, only a quality limit. The Academy joins all higher music education institutions in the waiting period for the student’s matured musicianship before a solo performance of any major concerto.